Bridges and Beanstalks
by hook617
Summary: Set after "Manhattan", as Snow and Emma rest during their journey, Snow notices a change in her daughter. Once they return to Storybrooke, the similarities between Snow and Emma's journey towards true love start to reveal.
1. Chapter 1

Emma sat quietly by the fire, staring at the compass. Snow was off finding food, and Mulan and Aurora were having quite the conversation. Something about Phillip, probably. That's all they seemed to have in common, well, they seemed to like to argue about him. Emma played with the firelight bouncing off the compass. The needle didn't turn, it just kept pointing to the beanstalk. Emma gazed in the direction of the towering stalk in the distance, wondering, worrying. Her thoughts were interrupted by a twig snapping behind her. Snow came out of the darkness, bow in one hand, rabbit in the other.

"Dinner," Snow said, throwing the rabbit next to the fire. Emma grimaced a little. It was better than squirrell, but what she wouldn't do for some pizza right now, or even something frozen. Anything but something she had to skin first. Snow sat on the log next to Emma and took out her knife. As she started to clean the rabbit, Emma looked away. "Does this still bother you?"

"It's not my most favorite part of this trip," Emma stated. Snow smiled and continued to clean the rabbit.

"I used to have to do this all the time, when I lived out in the woods by myself. It's just something you have to do if you're hungry enough," Snow stated. Emma looked at Snow. Wasn't she a princess? Maybe she was referencing when she lived with the dwarves. Either way, she never really heard many stories about her parents. They haven't even had very much time to really talk or exchange life stories. Snow must have sensed that Emma had some questions. "The Queen put a bounty out on me after the Huntsman showed me mercy- Graham." Emma tensed a little. Graham, another man she could love lost. Why did she even think that was possible? Everyone she loves eventually ends up lost, and she prayed she wasn't going to do the same to Henry if she was stuck here. "I lived in the woods a long time," Snow continued. "Then I met your father and everything changed. We both had something to fight for. Love, protecting the kingdom, fighting for our future."

"So you met him in the woods? You didn't meet him after the glass coffin?" Emma asked.

"Of course not! We had big adventures before that," Snow said, a little shocked that Emma didn't know their story. "No, there was storming King George's castle- twice, running from the Queen's guards, and, of course, the troll bridge."

"Troll Bridge?" Emma asked.

"It was our first adventure, and where we fell in love," Snow stated, looking off wistfully. "Before that, I just thought he was some stuck up royal. Then he saved me from the queens guards, and I could tell there was something. But when we got stuck on the troll bridge, and it almost looked like your father would be killed, I ran back into the danger and saved him. Standing together on that troll bridge we knew, but couldn't say it. It was love. And we would find each other, always," Snow looked thoughtfully into the night sky. Long ago, when she was a princess, she and Charming would look up in the sky and make all kinds of wishes for their baby. Bravery, a kind heart, a true love someday. Emma looked down at the fire and poked it with a nearby stick.

"So, you...went back to save him," Emma started. Snow looked at her daughter and could see the hurt on her face.

"Emma, what happened up there?" Snow asked. Emma continued to poke at the fire. "Emma, did you..."

"Did I what?" Emma asked defensively. Snow searched her face and she knew. Emma didn't have to say it, she might not even know herself. Snow returned to her true love on the bridge, but Emma overpowered the battle with her heart on that beanstalk. Emma had guilt and longing in her eyes. She was fighting her pain. Snow knew that feeling all too well, when she was trying to fight her feelings for Charming, and ultimately, took the wrong road to force those feelings out. She wished that Emma wouldn't have to go through the same.

"Nothing," Snow said, finishing cleaning the rabbit and put it over the fire to cook. Snow continued to season the rabbit with herbs that were nearby. _Don't say anything_, she thought, _if Charming were here, he'd tell you not to pry_. "Do you think he's okay?"

"He'll be fine," Emma said, gritting her teeth. "He can handle himself. He's cunning, crafty...smart...gentle." Emma caught herself and Snow looked at her knowingly. Emma wrapped her jacket around her even tighter and kept her eyes away from Snow's gaze. "He's a pirate." Snow nodded and smiled to herself. Of course, they were in the enchanted forest and, whether Emma liked it or not, it had a way of opening the heart. Snow left Emma by the fire to get some water from the stream over the hedge. As Snow bent down to scoop some water into the canteen, she looked up to the stars. She wondered if Charming could see the same stars that she was.

"Charming," she whispered to the stars, hoping they would carry the message to him. "Our daughter is in love. I'm sorry to tell you, he's a pirate, but if our daughter loves him, I know there's good in him." She smiled for a moment, then a tear came to her eye. "I don't know how to comfort her. Her heart is so closed. I think she even closed Hook out, and that's why she came back alone. Did we do that to her when we sent her through the wardrobe? Close her heart?" Snow's voice was choked with tears and she wiped her eyes dry. "No. She's our daughter. Her heart can be full of love again- I know it. I see it when she's with Henry, and she will with us again. And, just maybe, with Hook." Snow threw some water on her face to wash the tears away. As she went to go back over the hill, she turned back up to the stars one more time. "And- I like him, even if he is a pirate. You'll just have to get used to the idea, Charming." Snow walked back over the hill to find that Aurora and Mulan had joined Emma around the fire. Emma was still lost in thought, and the other two were still a bit snippy with each other. Aurora smiled at Snow, took the canteen and passed it around so everyone could have a drink. Snow sat back down next to Emma.

"Maybe, someday, you'll have to tell me how that true love thing works," Emma said, giving Snow a bit of a nudge. Snow smiled in return. _You'll know soon enough, my girl_, Snow thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: I meant to make this a one-chapter story, but then I had the idea to expand it as a sort of prequel to my other story, "Finding Love." This is my attempt to bridge the two. Both stories were so well received, I didn't think anyone would mind if I added to it ;-) I try to stay true to the series as possible, so this takes place after "Manhattan" with the exception that Emma doesn't find Neal and returns to Storybrooke without Gold. This is to stay consistent with my other story, which was written before Manhattan aired. Thanks for sticking with my adaptation!**

* * *

_A few months later_

Hook threw the contents of his cargo hold about in anger. How could he have let Cora deceive him?! Another chance at his vengeance lost, another failure in memory or Milah. Killian slammed his hook on one of the chests and let out a roar of frustration. He had no clue what his next move would be. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the deck above him. Hook slowly made his way to the deck and as he did, he drew his sword as he searched for the person who found his ship. As he turned around the corner of the cabin, he met face to face with his intruder.

"Swan?" Hook said. Once Emma recovered from her shock, she put her hand up to the tip of his sword and lowered it away from her face. "You do know how to get a man's attention."

"I came to talk," Emma said, already sounding annoyed.

"I thought you were...out of town," Hook said, putting his sword away.

"I was. Gold said I upheld the end of my deal and sent us home," Emma explained.

"So, he's still out of Storybrooke," Hook said, looking in the direction of the town line. Emma cupped his face and jerked it to look at her. "Ooh, such aggression. Now you definitely have my attention," Hook said, putting his hand on her waist and pulled her closer. She took a step backward and put her hand on her hips.

"We're in Storybrooke now, and I'm the sheriff. I'm just telling you now- you keep these episodes of attacking people up and I will arrest you." Hook leaned to the side and eyed her handcuffs.

"I know how you are with handcuffs, so if you really want to use them, I know of a more enjoyable activity we can use them for," Hook wiggled his eyebrows at her, to which Emma rolled her eyes.

"Maybe you should consider the fact that since you are in Storybrooke now, and don't have a portal to get home after your revenge, you might want to think about adapting to your new surroundings. Maybe even give up on the murder plans- which will definitely throw you in jail," Emma said. Hook tightened his jaw and his expression changed.

"I will never give up on my revenge," Hook declared. Then, to his surprise, her expression softened. She didn't look upset with him, she seemed to pity him.

"If I had lived through what you did, I'd feel the same way. But you can't live in anger forever," she said. With that, she started to exit the boat. As she took a step up, she slipped on a wet board. Killian rushed forward and caught her before she fell backward. They froze and looked at each other for a moment, then Emma recovered and stood back up, shaking herself loose from his gentle hold.

"That's, um...it can be slippery on that first step," Hook said, recovering himself. He offered his hand to help her over, but she gave him a half smile and walked over herself. "You also can't hold back trust forever either." He yelled over to her as she marched up the dock.

* * *

Snow helped Henry as they carried his volcano project to David's van. "Why did I ever assign this project?" Snow said to herself as she tried to navigate the oversized project.

"It was fun," Henry said, opening the door for her. Snow slid the project in the back and went for the front door. Henry jumped in the car too and as they were buckling their seat belts, Snow's phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," Emma said from the other end. "Did you say you'd drive Henry home from school today?"

"Yeah, we're in the truck now," Snow said.

"I forgot that it's his night with Regina. Would you mind dropping him off?" Snow sighed and looked at Henry.

"Yeah, I can," she said, slightly disappointed she couldn't spend time with Henry.

"I'm sorry. I can't keep my schedule straight," Emma said.

"It's okay... Bye," Snow said as she hung up. "We have to go to Regina's, Henry."

"Why?" he asked.

"Your Mom agreed you'd spend the night," Snow explained.

"But I don't have any of my stuff."

"We'll stop home first," Snow said as she pulled away. About fifteen minutes later, both of them rushed around the loft to get Henry's things together. "Hurry up. You're Mom said you'd be there by 4, and it's already 3:50!" Henry stuffed some pajamas in his bag and they raced for the door. As they opened it, they found Regina standing there.

"Emma said I had him tonight," she said coldly.

"I know. We were on our way there. We're not late," Snow said, putting her arm around Henry. Regina yanked Henry toward her.

"I know. I just figured I was forgotten. But I'll take him from here," she said, turning Henry towards the stairs.

"When should I tell Emma you'll bring him back?" Snow called after her. Regina kept on her course, not saying a word. Snow went to the stop of the steps and called down "What time is he coming back?" Regina still didn't say a word, she simply turned and stretched her hand out, sending her flying backward.

"When I see fit," she said and took Henry out.


	3. Chapter 3

Snow awoke to find David and Emma trying to rouse her. David took her in his arms when she opened her eyes, and she leaned her head on her shoulder. "Where's Henry," Emma asked.

"Regina took him," Snow whispered.

"Did she do this?" David asked, anger already swirling in his voice. Snow nodded weakly and David's eyes grew fierce. Emma put a hand on his shoulder.

"If she has Henry, we have to take it easy. I'll call her," Emma said firmly. She dialed Regina's number and it went straight to voicemail. "Or let's go now."

* * *

Hook slowly slipped in through the window of Regina's house and landed quietly on the floor. He moved slowly across the floor of the room and reached for the doorknob.

"It's locked," said a voice from behind him. Hook spun around to see a dark haired boy sitting behind the bed. "Whoa...are you Captain Hook?" Killian looked down at the boy, whose eyes were large with amazement. He felt a sense of pride at being thought of as famous.

"Why, yes mate, I am," he said, stretching his arms out and holding up his hook. "And who might you be? Hansel?"

"No, that's another boy at school. I'm Henry," the boy said, stretching out his hand. Hook looked at the boys hand before he took it. He looked Henry over and smiled.

"You look like your Mom," he said. "So you're the Henry he's heard so much about."

"You know my Mom?" Henry asked.

"We had some adventures together back home," Hook said. Henry reached out and traced the outline of his hook. "Surely your Mom mentioned me," he said with a smile.

"No, she only mentioned orges," Henry said, still focused in his hook. Killian was slightly disappointed.

"Well, I have some business to attend to with Regina. It's been a pleasure, mate," Hook said, turning to leave. As he slowly turned the handle, it was indeed locked. "Does your mother always lock you in." Henry shrugged and nodded. "Hmm...I'll have to try another window."

"Could...um...could I come with you?" Henry asked. Hook looked into Henry's eyes and examined his expression.

"Are you afraid, lad?"

"Yeah," Henry said with a nod. "She seems real mad. I don't think she's going to let me go back to my Mom."

"A kidnapping, is it? Well, we can't have that," Hook said. He knelt down on the floor and gestured to his back. "Grab on, mate." Henry jumped on Killian's back and Killian got up to go towards the window. "Hold on tight," he said. Hook gently went out the window, careful not to hit Henry, then leapt towards the tree and climbed down. He landed softly behind a bush and, after shifting Henry's weight, got down low and exited the property. Once they were around the corner, he put Henry down on the ground. "There, lad! Safe and sound."

"Um...I forgot my backpack," Henry said, looking a little apologetic.

"I'll get it for you later. Let's get you back to your Mom first," Killian said, turning him towards Main street. After they walked a few blocks, David's car came whizzing around the corner and screeched on the breaks upon seeing the two walking. David jumped out of the car and pointed his gun at Hook.

"Let the boy go!" David yelled. Killian slowly put his arms in the air and gave him a smile and a shrug.

"This is an odd thank you," Killian said.

"Gramps, it's okay. He saved me," Henry explained. Emma and Snow jumped out of the car and wrapped their arms around Henry.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked, obviously very worried. Henry nodded and she hugged him again. "Thank you," she said to Hook.

"Why did you do it?" David asked, still suspicious.

"I...um..." Killian started.

"Yeah, why were you there?" Emma asked. Killian flashed a smile at Emma, who rolled her eyes and ushered Henry to the car. "Take him somewhere safe," she said to Snow.

"What are you going to do?" Snow asked.

"I'm going to confront Regina," Emma said, heading towards the house.

"Allow me to accompany you," Hook said, going after her. She stopped in the street and glared at him. "I promised your boy I'd get his backpack."

"Emma, don't trust him!" David called after her. Hook started to go for David, but Emma put her hand on his chest. Killian looked at her and his stance instantly softened. Their eyes locked again before shaking it off and heading towards Regina's house.

"What was that?!" David said, noticing the exchange.

"Not yet," Snow said, putting Henry in the car. David tried to ask for an explanation, but Snow just shook her head. What she saw a few months ago was still there- just neither of them would admit it.


	4. Chapter 4

As the two of them reached the front door, Killian arrested her arm with his hook as she raised to knock on the door. "Do you know what you're doing?" She gently removed her arm from his grasp and banged on the door. Regina answered the door pleasantly.

"Emma? What a nice surprise. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."

"We need to talk," Emma said, pushing past her. Regina looked at Hook, who gave her a sly smile.

"Hello, your majesty," he said, squeezing by her through the doorframe. Emma looked around the first floor for Cora, but she was nowhere to be seen. Hook also looked around too, but for a different reason.

"Henry's just upstairs. Should I call him?" Regina said innocently.

"Why did you take him from Mary Margaret? He was on his way to see you, she wasn't keeping him from you," Emma said.

"No, you're keeping him from me, but that's another issue all together," Regina snapped. "Why do you get to call all the shots from now on?"

"I'm his mother."

"No, I'm his mother! I have been for eleven years! How many years of that were you in jail, Ms. Swan?" Regina shot at her.

"He's my son, and he wants to be with me. Henry made his choice, but I am trying to be reasonable and keep you in his life. I don't have to, and you can't take Henry by force," Emma said, standing up to her. Cora suddenly entered the room, and taking one look at Emma, suddenly made a fireball in her hand.

"Mother, what?" Regina said questioningly.

"Henry's gone," Cora said, holding the fireball up threateningly. "She took him."

"No, Hook...Hook?" Emma said, looking around. He was nowhere to be seen. "Great."

"You took Henry from me?" Regina asked, starting to get angry. She held out her hand towards Emma, who started to step backward. All of a sudden, she felt herself going through glass and being knocked to the ground. When she hit the ground, another force came on top of her. She opened her eyes to see Hook laying on top of her. He had pushed her out the window, saving her from their wrath. Hook quickly scrambled to his feet and threw a liquid through the window. He grabbed Emma's hand and they both started running down the street. When they were a couple blocks away, Emma pulled her hand from his and stopped running.

"What...what just happened?"

"I saved you, darling. A thank you is customary," Hook said. He took Henry's backpack off his shoulder and handed it to her. He turned and continued to walk down the street. "If they haven't caught up to us by now, the squid ink must have worked. Come, we have time, but I don't know how long," he said as he continued down the street. Emma sped up until she caught up to him then got in front of him, putting her hand on his chest to stop him.

"Wait, when you went in there the first time, it wasn't to save Henry. What was it?"

"I was going to go in to try to kill Cora, but I later realized that might have been rash," Hook explained. Emma looked him in the eye, to which he just flashed a smile at her.

"You took something," she said, starting to pat him down. Killian didn't stop her, his smile just got larger as she felt all his pockets.

"Aren't you a frisky lass?" he said, trying to throw her off. She reached into his shirt and pulled out a spell book. She flipped the book back and forth in her hand then looked at him in disbelief.

"We were only arguing for a few minutes. How did you find this so fast? This isn't something they'd leave around the house," she asked. Hook just shrugged then pointed to his chest with his hook.

"Pirate," he said simply. Emma continued to pat him down, but found nothing. For a moment, her hand lingered on his muscular arm. Killian tipped her head up to meet his gaze. "If you'd like to continue to search me, would you like to go somewhere more private?" Emma gave him no reaction and started to walk down the street again. "I'm still waiting for my thank you," he said jogging behind her until he caught up with her. Emma stopped and looked in his eyes, which softened to her gaze. Emma thought for a moment, then leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you for rescuing me, and Henry," she said. Killian looked at her in disbelief, and she smiled at him. "Really, thank you, Hook."

"You're most welcome, darling," he said softly. They smiled at each other and turned to walk down the street in silence.

* * *

A few hours later, the squid ink wore off and Regina and Cora let out a groan from the pain of being held in the same position for hours. As the stretched, Regina looked in the direction of the stairs. "Is Henry really gone?" Cora nodded. Regina marched down the hall to her study, where she saw the safe had been opened. She tensed and went back to where her mother was. "The spellbook is gone too."

"Of course it is. You left it in a sloppy place," Cora stated. Regina looked down in disappointment. "You have magic, Regina, and you put it in a flimsy safe? No wonder it took that pirate only seconds to break in. You might as well have left it on the bookcase."

"What do we do now? The spell I had prepared was in that book," Regina said.

"Simple. We make the whole town pay," Cora said with an evil smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Hook sank deep in the crows nest and pulled out the spell book. He flipped through it, seeing mostly spells and incantations, most of which he couldn't understand. He did come across some interesting pages, including one in the back of the book that seemed to be freshly written. As he scanned the last few pages, he felt a gust of wind across his face. He knew he wasn't alone anymore. He slipped the book into the false bottom of the crow's nest and peered over the side of it. Cora was at the bottom of the mainsail, staring up at him, looking not happy at all. He leaned over the side and gave her a simple wave. Suddenly, he had no control over his body anymore. He went stiff and was being lowered by magic to the deck of the ship. Once in Cora's eyesight, with a simple wave of her hand he went flying into the cabin on deck. Killian slowly and surely stood up, rubbing his bad arm as he did so.

"Hello, m'lady," he said weakly. She raised her hand and he was once again frozen against the side of the cabin. "Having a rough day?"

"I should kill you for stealing from me," Cora hissed. "Give me back the book."

"I don't have it on me," Hook said. Technically, he was telling the truth. He wasn't carrying it on his person. Cora waved her hand again, causing the contents of his pockets and satchel to float. Gold coins, two rings, a knife- no book.

"I could tear this ship apart looking for it," Cora stated.

"If you do, I'll finish what I started the day we met," Hook threatened. Cora eyed him, knew he meant good on his threat, but laughed him off.

"Oh, my dear Captain. It's not as easy as stabbing me with your hook," she said. "If you won't return my book, I have another job for you instead."

"And why would I help you? You took the dagger from me, deprived me of my hope of killing Rumplestiltskin," Hook hissed at her. She lowered her hand and he fell to the deck.

"I want you to help me by getting close to Emma. Distract her with your...charm," she said. Hook raised his eyebrows.

"That doesn't sound like your typical plan. Why?"

"Oh, I think that's better left to the element of surprise," she said. "Oh, and one more thing," she waved her hand and the cloaking spell disappeared. Then she pointed towards the ship's wheel and it caught on fire.

"NO!" Hook yelled, scrambling to put out the blaze.

"Just a reminder of what could happen if you cross me again," Cora said before disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke. Hook beat down the last smulder on the wheel. Fortunately, no lasting damage. Hook could easily fix the charred wood, thanks to his enchanted ship. However, damage was done- he knew she was serious.

* * *

Emma walked up to the marina to see the Jolly Roger in all it's glory. It was a marvel of a ship. She walked on board to find Hook polishing the wheel. He looked up when he saw her and made his way across the deck to her.

"Always a pleasure to see you," he said, gesturing to take her hand, to which prompted her to put her hands in her pockets. "What do I owe the honor?"

"I see your boat is visible again," she said, dodging the question.

"Ah, yes. Cora took away her cloaking spell. Actually, I don't mind it at all. It's not like I have the element of surprise anymore," he said, wiping his hand and hook on a nearby cloth. "So, what does a beautiful lass like you want with me?"

"I...thought we could be friends," she said awkwardly.

"Friends?" he said, looking at her with confusion

"Yeah. Like I said, you'll be in Storybrooke for a while. And since you're obviously not in league with Cora or Regina anymore, I thought you could use a friend," she said, giving him a small smile. Hook grunted and started working with a rope that didn't need to be fixed.

"How can you be so sure?" he said, not looking at her. She could tell he was hiding something, it was very obvious. She went over to him and leaned on the side of the ship, trying to catch his eyes. When he finally looked at her, she gave him a half-smile.

"Like you said, I need to learn to trust." She pushed off from the side of the ship and started to walk across the deck to leave.

"Wait," he said. She turned to see his jaw tightening, fighting his own thoughts. She waited patiently for him to say something. "Cora came to me about an hour ago. She wants me to get close to you." Emma looked disappointed, but he was telling the truth.

"Why?"

"Trust me, I had the same question. I don't know her plan, but maybe you should keep your distance," he said, unable to look at her.

"Why would you tell me this?" Hook shrugged and went back to working with the rope.

"Because I'd hate for your first attempt to trust someone be wasted," he said softly. She walked back over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He looked between her hand and her eyes. In her eyes he saw compassion, and in his eyes she saw conflict. Emma sighed and took her hand away from him.

"It's Miner's Day tomorrow. Henry and I will be there if you want to join us," she said as she started to go.

"What? After what I just told you..."

"You didn't have to tell me, but you did. And I'm not going to live in fear of Cora and Regina. Maybe Captain Hook isn't all that he seems," she said. Emma wasn't sure if she saw good in him or was only seeing what she wanted to see, but there was only one way to find out- confront the situation head on. Only time will tell where this pirate truly lies.


	6. Chapter 6

Everyone was abuzz with the excitement of Miner's Day. It had been the first one since Storybrooke awakened, and they wanted to mix in some of their land with the day. This year, everyone wore costumes that resembled what they used to wear back home. Snow made outfits for Henry and Emma to wear. Henry wanted to look like a knight's squire, and for Emma she made a traditional dress, similar to what she used to wear when she lived with the drawfes. Of course, Snow and David looked like their royal selves. As Hook slowly wandered into the crowd, he felt slightly more at ease that he didn't stand out so much in his pirate gear. However, he seemed to be the only one who looked uncomfortable, even unhappy, on Miner's Day.

"Mom- look! It's Captain Hook!" Henry said before tearing through the crowd. He ran over to Killian and pulled him back to where Snow, Emma & David were standing. "Look! He came!" Hook nodded to them. Emma and Snow gave him a slight smile, but David looked more annoyed.

"For the sake of all the people here, I hope you're not planning anything," David warned.

"Oh, but I am, your highness," he said, not taking his eyes off Emma. David gave him a small push to his arm, but Hook just glared at him. "I intend to challenge you daugher to one of these games." Emma and Snow looked confused. "Well, you said I should try to fit in. You have fun on days like this, right?"

"Come on, Mom!" Henry said as he pulled Hook towards the games. Emma followed them while Snow and David went to take their shift to sell candles. As they made their way down the game row, Henry was explaining to Hook how you played each game. _None of these seem like too much of a challenge_, Killian thought.

"So, which one do you want to play?" Henry asked. Hook smiled at Emma and pointed towards the end of the row- the rope climb. "That's not a game, it's more like a ride. You need a ticket to climb up."

"Oh, it's a game to me," Hook said, looking towards Emma. "Care to race to the top?" Emma shook her head no.

"Hook, I'm wearing a dress," she said.

"Not up for the challenge? Just pretend it's a beanstalk," Hook said, leaning towards her. Emma smiled at him and pushed him away, heading straight for the rope climb. Emma gave the man two tickets, one for each them, and held out one of the ropes towards Killian. He gave her a wink as he took it and both of them took a stance to climb up. "Alright. Last one up is a bone-crushing giant," he said, giving her a sly smile. "Count it off, lad."

"On your mark, get set, GO!" Henry yelled. Emma and Hook took off. Although Emma gained a lot of momentum, Hook was much faster. He was so used to climbing ropes on his ship, this was a breeze. He reached the top while Emma was only halfway up. "I believe I win the prize," he proclaimed.

"We never said anything about a prize," Emma called up to him as she started to climb back down. Hook pushed off the rope wall and swung toward her. He caught her around the waist with his good arm and slid down the rope using his hook. When he hit the ground, he lowered her to his feet gently.

"I'll think of something you can give me," Hook said with a wink. The people around them were applauding and slapped Killian on the back. He quite enjoyed the positive attention. Emma gave him a playful nudge and Henry pulled him out of the crowd towards one of the mining games. The three of them began to relax and just have fun. Killian would catch himself staring at Emma. The guard she had up back in the enchanted forest seemed to be down when she was with Henry, and, in certain moments, with him too. Maybe he could enjoy this new land, a new life. As the evening began to fall, Emma excused herself to go sell candles with Snow. "I could take her shift. I'm sure she and the prince would like to have some fun too." Snow and David took Henry to get some more food while Hook stayed behind with Emma. She decided to light a few as the sun started to set. Hook leaned against the counter of the stand and watched the light dance in her eyes. "Thank you, lass, for today." Emma turned and smiled at him.

"I guess one day isn't going to change your revenge plans," she said, leaning against the counter with him.

"Not just yet, no," Hook said honestly. "But you're right. A man can't be angry forever. And...I've had a lot of fun and felt more like myself today than I've felt in a long time. It almost reminds me of how I was before..." He looked down and played with his hook. Emma put her hand on his wrist and he looked in her eyes.

"It takes time," she said in almost a whisper. His eyes softened, and she began to get lost in his cool blue eyes. Without realizing it, she started to rub his wrist softly, which sent a small chill through him. He began to lean towards her, and she tilted her face towards him. He could feel his heart pounding as he was so close to her lips.

"Emma, look out!" David yelled. Killian and Emma looked just in time to see a fireball headed straight towards them. Hook threw himself over Emma, knocking her to the ground. They crawled away from the burning stand, taking refuge behind a nearby parked car. The townspeople were running frantically through the carnival as Regina and Cora sent waves of fire and destruction at them. Emma and Hook tried to catch their breath as the chaos grew larger.

"Got any more squid ink?" Emma asked.

"No, that was it," Hook said, leaning his head against the car.

"And you used it just to save me?" Emma asked.

"Well, it was supposed to be for Rumplestiltskin but saving you seemed like a good idea at the time," Hook yelled back as a tree branch almost fell on them. "You can lecture me on my strategies later, lass. We need to get out of here."

"Henry!" Emma yelled. "We have to find him." Hook popped his head up over the car to take a quick scan. He saw Snow and David with Henry, with Regina and Cora headed straight for them. Hook took the spell book out of his satchel, flipped through the pages, opened it to a marked page and handed it to Emma. "Look, I can only understand a few words of this, but I think it does something that could help us. If I distract them, can you take it from there."

"Hook, I don't know..."

"Just blow on the page. You've seen it done," He said, clasping his hand on her shoulder. Emma nodded and Hook ran out in front of Regina and Cora. "Ladies," he said with a bow.

"Out of the way, pirate," Regina said, raising her hand towards him. To the surprise of everyone, Cora placed her hand on Regina's wrist.

"Now, now, Regina. Is that any way to talk to Hook? He's here to help us," she said with a sly smile. Hook looked just as confused as anyone. "After all, what's a trap without bait?" The face off was paused for a moment when it started snowing. They turned to see Emma holding the book, looking rather disappointed.

"I thought you said the spell could help," Emma yelled at Hook.

"I also said I didn't know what it said it would do!" he yelled back, dodging a lightning bolt sent by Regina. "Try something else!" Emma ran back towards the candle booth and threw the book into the flames. The snow stopped instantly.

"NO!" Regina yelled. Cora raised her hand to Hook, which sent him flying into the branches of a tree. She raised another hand to Henry, which sent him into the same tree. Without a word, Cora set the base of the tree on fire. "Mother, what are you doing?!" Cora smiled at Regina then turned to Emma.

"Go ahead, save him," Cora said. "You only have time to save one."

"Mother, why are you putting Henry in danger?" Regina asked. Emma ran towards the burning tree and looked up at Hook and Henry.

"Save your son!" Hook called down to her. Emma reached up to grab Henry's legs to pull him down, but he was just out of reach. As Hook strained to get free, he felt something tug at his boot. Snow was trying to pull him down as David was deflecting Cora with this sword. "No, help Emma!" Hook called down.

"I am!" Snow called back up to him, trying to pull him down and avoid the growing flames at the same time. Hook and Henry's branches gave way at the same time, and all four of them fell coughing as the smoke grew larger. Hook helped Snow off the ground, and then ran to help Henry and Emma. "Let's go!" Snow called to David. The five of them ran through the smoke, using it as cover from Regina and Cora. Once they reached the main square, they turned back to see the fairgrounds and a good corner of Storybrooke in flames. The fire department trucks were speeding around the corner to put out the blaze. David and Snow embraced each other as Emma put her arms around Henry. Hook stood there alone watching the blaze when he felt a pull at his hook. He turned to see Henry reaching out for him, and when he caught Hook's gaze, Henry pulled him into his and Emma's embrace. Hook held both of them tightly and protectively.

* * *

The next morning, Emma walked down the street to the fair grounds. Everything was in ashes, and the neighboring houses were either burned down completely or had severe damage. The people who lived in those houses had made it safely away and were staying at Granny's. Emma had checked the hospitals to find several people injured, some in critical condition. Emma wandered over to where the candle stand was and bent down when she saw something sticking out from the ashes. It was a ring with a large red ruby in it.

"It was Milah's," a voice from behind her said. Emma turned to see Regina standing over her. Emma jumped up, ready to defend. "Hook doesn't go anywhere without it. It's the last thing he has of hers. I'm sure he'd want it back."

"What are you doing here?" Emma hissed back. Regina started to pace and put her hands in the pockets of her long coat.

"I made a mistake, Ms. Swan. I wanted Henry back so badly that I let my Mother take control, and it almost hurt Henry," Regina said. "You probably don't think I deserve it, but perhaps we can find a civil solution."

"Now you want a civil solution? Tell that to the families who lost their homes last night."

"My only concern right now is Henry. Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he does have a burn on his arm, but its very minor. Others had worse," Emma said. Regina stopped pacing and looked at Emma.

"Let me put it this way- I will keep my Mother in check from hurting anyone else if we can come to an arrangement. Until I am satisfied with my contact with Henry, I don't know what she'll do. Now do you want to discuss an arrangement?" Regina said. Emma sighed, she had no other choice.

"Okay- we'll try a version of joint custody. One weekday and one weekend overnight. Lunch or dinner any night upon request and only if we do not have other plans. And Henry needs to agree to go- you can't force him. If he doesn't want to go with you one night, you have to respect his decision," Emma said. Regina nodded in agreement.

"And if you ever leave town or have to make a big decision regarding his life, you have to at least tell me what's going on," Regina added. Emma held her hand out to Regina.

"Deal. For Henry's sake, let's not do all this again," Emma said. Regina nodded again and turned to leave. Emma looked out over the ashes again. This was going to take a while to clean up.


	7. Chapter 7 - Epilogue

Emma returned to the station to find Snow taking phone calls. Emma sat down next to her and opened the box of donuts that were sitting next to Snow. As Snow put the phone down, she looked at Emma's expression. "Is everything okay?"

"I made a deal with Regina. We're going to try to share Henry on a regular schedule for now. It seems to be the only solution to keep Cora from taking her anger out on Storybrooke," Emma stated before biting into her donut. "I just hope I'm making the right decision for Henry."

"You're keeping him safe," Snow said, putting a reassuring hand on her leg. "We'll do anything to protect him."

"Yeah. Snow White and Prince Charming to the rescue," Emma said with a smile.

"And Captain Hook," Snow added with a wink.

"What was that wink for?"

"Nothing. It just seems that he's put his life on the line quite a bit for you in the past few days," she said, trying to coax something out of her. Emma rolled her eyes and put her feet up on the desk. Snow tried to stiffle herself, but then blurted out: "Do you have feelings for him?" Emma almost choked on her donut.

"What? That's crazy. That's..." Emma trailed off as she thought about Hook. He saved her more than once, he went up the beanstalk with her, he was willing to sacrifice himself for Henry. Maybe he was able to be trusted after all. Snow smiled as she watched Emma think. It was only a matter of time.

* * *

"You have to stop sneaking onto my ship," Hook said as Emma stepped onto the main deck.

"I wasn't sneaking on, I just came to return something," Emma said, handing Hook the ring. Hook looked at it in confusion then looked in his satchel. It was Milah's ring. He took it from her and put it back in his satchel.

"Thank you. I didn't even notice I dropped it," he said.

"It must have fallen out when you jumped on top of me," Emma said, which made Hook grin. "Don't start," she warned. Hook shrugged and gave her a wink. "Speaking of which, I don't think I heard an innuendo out of you all day yesterday. Are you not feeling well?"

"Did you miss our electrifying banter?" Hook said, trying to pull her to him. Emma placed a hand his chest and looked into his eyes.

"I think they're just another wall you put up. And when you were having fun yesterday, you were yourself," Emma said, which made Hook pause. "I like you better when you're just you."

"And I like you when better you're not trying to be so insightful," Hook said, releasing her and turning his back towards her.

"I never gave you your prize for beating me," Emma called back to him. Hook turned around and swaggered toward her. As he tilted her face towards his for a kiss, she slipped an object into his hand. He looked down and inspected the object.

"The magic compass?" he said with surprised. He examined the object, turning it over in his hand and fumbling with the chain. "Why give me something so precious?"

"Because I trust you to keep it safe," Emma said, unconsciously taking a step towards him. He looked from the compass to her eyes.

"You trust me?" He asked. Emma simply smiled at him and enclosed his hand around the compass.

"Welcome to Storybrooke, Captain Hook," she whispered. She turned and walked down the road back towards the sheriff's station. As he watched her go, he felt the compass spinning in his hand. As he looked down at it, the arrow stopped in the direction of Emma. He looked back up and smiled.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! For more Captain Swan, go to my story "Finding Love." Hopefully, I'll have more Captain Swan stories coming soon!**


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